Hunted
by that bloke
Summary: When Hannah Shepard and her husband find themselves hunted by an unbeatable enemy days before she's due to give birth to her first child, they must rely on a mysterious protector, and they realize how one event can change the fate of an entire galaxy. Basic story takes inspiration from an old movie, but will try to keep plot original
1. Chapter 1

_**2191:  
Planet Kalio**_

The shuttles approached the research base on Kalio, carrying an N7 strike team led by Commander James Vega. All the soldiers on board had been briefed on the mission: a possible Pre-War Cerberus lab being used by old Cerberus commanders who survived the war after the Reapers were destroyed.

"Alright boys 'n' girls, you know the score" Vega said to the N7's, "We're dealing with Cerberus, they could be indoctrinated, or they could be recruiting post-war. We believe the ones in charge are still indoctrinated from the war, but they could still have a few new guys on the ground. Intel says that whatevers in there is big. We go in, take out local hostiles, and orders are if we cant secure it for ourselves, we destroy it. We clear? Then sit down, shut up, and wait 'til we get there!"

Sergeant Charlie Hawkins got his gear ready as the base came into view. At first glance it looked like a standard R&D lab, but then he noticed the two rotating rings in the centre of the complex, a ball of blue energy in the epicenter. His first thought was a mass relay, but they were all still being reverse engineered and rebuilt, and this one was too small.

"Any idea what is is they're doing in there, Commander?" one of the men asked.

"No idea pendejo!" Vega replied "I couldnt give two shits either, as long as it doesnt belong to those assholes!"

"Commander, we're approaching the drop point now! Good luck Sir" said the co-pilot. The shuttles touched down and the squads jumped out.

"Okay people fan out! You know the plan. Mako take point! Hammerhead support." Vega ordered.

"All the callsigns in the universe and you choose those, Commander?" Asked one of the team

"I learned from the best of the best, boy!" he replied. Everyone knew of Vega's service in the war, how he'd served under Commander Shepard. Vega was practically a legend to these men. Everyone who'd been on the Normandy was.

"This is weird. We should have encountered Cerberus by now" Hawkins said. And right on cue, four men came out of a door, all with guns and started firing on the N7s.

"Take cover! Take cover!" someone shouted as one of the squad was shot through the head. They opened fire on the Cerberus squad, Hakins concentrated fire on the one to the left. Took a whole magazine but the guy went down, he then assisted with the other three, which took as much punch before going down.

"Clear!" they shouted, checking there was no one else waiting for them. Hawkins examined the bodies, and didnt like what saw.

"Shit. Commander Vega, they have Infiltrators here, Combat-class. 500X series, unless im very much mistaken." Vega came and examined the bodies too, he saw where there should be bullet wounds there was just torn skin, blood, and machinery underneath. Cerberus had upgraded their infiltrators from the friendly looking fembot that EDI had controlled, to full-on war machines designed simply to kill.

"I thought we took out the last production factory for those things five months ago." one of the techs said.

"These must be the last ones then" Vega said back, "This facility is for something else, im sure of it. Keep moving"

They carried on for several minutes, only running into a few squads of Cerberus soldiers along the way. This facility was very understaffed. they made it to what looked like a control room, with a few Cerberus scientists at the various computers. As soon as they saw the N7 squad, they tried to kill themselves, proving they were indoctrinated.

"Indocs! Stun them!" Hawkins yelled, "biotics, stasis fields, now!" In the years since the end of the war, they had had to fight small remnants of the pro-human organisation. Familiar with the suicide-on-capture orders Cerberus drilled into its recruits, the New-Alliance had developed methods and devices for dealing with them. Using stunners or biotics, they would freeze the subject, then use a small tazer looking object against their neck which would disable any occular-nerve flashbangs or other "ways out". Most of them didnt use cynanide capsules in their teeth anymore, but in the event that someone did, they resorted to the old fashioned method: yank out his teeth.

After they had subdued the scientists and restrained them, it was time for answers. Vega was notorious for getting answers out of Cerberus personell, like he had a personal vendetta against them.

"Out of the way, ladies and gentlemen, let the master through!" He went to the lead scientist, an old man with twitching eyes. "Stevens, get on the computers and see what you can find."

Vega looked the man in the eyes.

"So, Pops, you gonna tell me whats going on here? Whats with the weird looking mass relay-type thing outside? And why do you still have infiltrators running around?" the man just laughed.

"You cant stop us! Its already begun, and whats we've set in motion... nothing can un-set it! It's in the past, you see?" the old man ranted.

"Whats he talking about, Vega?" Sergeeant Mantz asked.

"Vega!" the old man started "N7 Commander James Vega! i know you, crew of the Normandy."

"You know me?" Vega asked

"We knew all your faces, everyone who served under... Commander Shepard" he said Shepards name with particular distaste. He looked back at Vega, "You're whole life will mean nothing, none of them will."

Vega slapped the man across the face "hey! old man, what do you know about Shepard?"

"Commander Shepard, the biggest monster of all, destroyed the Masters and killed the Illusive Man" a tear rolled down the mans face. Some of the squad had other opinions.

"Good man!"

"Tough fucker!"

"Best of the N7s!"

Vega spent the next few minutes beating the old man, who had decided he didnt want to give over any more answers. Vega wasnt doing any real damage, just enough to get the guy talking.

"Commander... Shepard... wont matter... after today!" the old man said through a bloody mouth.

"Why, what are you planning you son of a bitch?!" Vega hit him again.

"Shepard wont... destroy the Reapers... this time! He'll die before he gets that chance" he said

"What does that mean?" Hawkins asked "The Reapers were destroyed five years ago! He's alive right now!"

"Oh, Jesus Christ..." Stevens said, in a state of complete horror.

"What is it, man?" Vega asked

"Sir, look at what they've built" he said, beckoning towards the computer. Vega and Hawkins both observed the screen and saw a project name and a note from the old man:

_Project Rewrite:  
The Reapers, being the magnificent machines they are, have recognized the very unlikely chance of them losing the war. I use the term "recognized" lightly, there is no chance they will lose, but they are taking no chances and have instructed the Illusive man and myself to deliver them a way out. Where the Reapers have the technology and the resources, Cerberus has what no one else does: human ingenuity. Even the Reapers never successfully resurrected a clinically dead organism, but we did it with Commander Shepard. The Reapers have given us all the technology, resources and plans they can provide, and now the rest is up to me. The Illusive Man has gone to the Citadel, now orbiting Earth. And I must complete the mission entrusted to me. To build a machine that can allow one to travel across time and space. And then, erase Commander Shepard from history._

"Those fuckers!" Vega shouted

"Theres more" Stevens said, "heres the latest one"

_Project Rewrite - Complete:  
We've done it, its taken years of work and research while all the time staying out of the eyes of our enemies, but the Time Displacement Relay is finished. Once again proving that humanity really is the dominant race in this universe. But I have no plans for personal gain with this technology, as I have orders from a higher power. The Reapers trusted me with this task before they died, and now I will make sure they are reborn, this time they will not be destroyed. Commander Shepard will be killed before he can join the Alliance. Before he is even born, to be precise. We won't be able to activate this facility without the New-Alliance noticing so we will have to be quick. This will be my final log, they'll most likely kill me, or imprison me. But I dont care as long as the Reapers live! Doctor Maklov, signing off._

"Its already started!" Maklov said "you cant stop it now! Its finally going to happen!" he then started to laugh like a madman

"Stevens, wheres this Time Relay? We need to destroy it!" Vega shouted

"Here!" he looked at a readout of the facility "just down that corridor outside this room"

"Hawkins, Jones, with me now!" they set off out of the room down the hall towards a large door, Stevens opened it for them and they carried on through. The room they were in was massive, with a platform in the centre.

With a man standing there.

"NO!" Vega shouted. There was a brilliant flash of blue light, and the man was gone.

"Fuck!" Hawkins yelled "can we reverse it? bring him back?"

"No" Stevens said over the comm, "and that was an infiltrator, Hawkins. 500X, like you said earlier."

"An infiltrator?" Vega looked horrified "they'll never seem it coming!" he started looking at his hands, as if expecting to fade from existence. "We've lost everything" he said "Shepard'll die, the Reapers will win"

"No" Hawkins said "send me through, i'll stop it. Stevens, wheres it headed?"

"You mean _when _and -"

"Dont get smart with me, sunshine. Just tell me quick." Hawkins asked.

"Hold on, getting the readings up. Shit"

"What?" Vega said.

"April 08, year 2154, location: New Hope Station. Target: Hannah Shepard. They're gonna kill her before she gives birth to Commander Shepard!"

"Right, send me through" Hawkins repeated.

"Im comin' with!" Vega said.

"Sorry Sir, i can only send one person through at a time, and this things only got enough juice for one more trip. The first one alone nearly tore it apart. I cant change the date either, Hawkins. You'll have to move pretty sharpish once you arrive, that 500X will be faster, smarter and more adaptive than you"

"lucky me"

"You cant take any tech or armour through either, messes with the Displacement systems"

"But that 500X is a fuckin' robot!" Vega said.

"Yeah, covered in skin." Stevens said.

"So i'll arrive with no guns, tech or clothes? wonderful" Hawkins asked

"You'll keep your clothes, dunno where you got that idea from..." Stevens carried on "just no armour"

"Well, Here I go" Hawkins said as he stepped out onto the platform. "This'll be fun. Travel through time, find Mr and Mrs Shepard, destroy the 500X, save baby Shepard and by extension everyone who's ever lived... shit, i'll be stuck in the past. Ah well, not important. Commander Vega, Stevens, and the rest of you crazy N7 bastards, been a privilege fighting and killing with you over the years" he said before taking off his armour and dropping his weapons, radio and omni-tool. Now he was just standing in a tight shirt and trousers you wear under armour, he was even barefoot.

"Good luck, you crazy son of a bitch" Vega shook his hand and grinned, "wait 'til the man himself hears about this." Vega cleared the platform and gave Stevens the all clear.

"Good luck Hawkins" Stevens said over a loudspeaker. "Try not to change any major historical events or anything, if possible try to take out the 500X before it finds the Shepards, that way everything stays the same.

There was a blue flash and a burning sensation all over his body, then he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**_08-04-2154:  
New Hope Station_**

Hannah Shepard was counting the days to her due date. The doctors had given her April 11th as the birthday of her first child. She had been given maternity leave from the Alliance while her husband, lieutenant Bale Shepard was still working in the military. He was posted at New Hope so he could still see her and be there for the birth. The message screen of their small living quarters started beeping. Showing an incoming call from Bale. Hannah answered.

"Hi Han, you alright today?" Bale said in his British accent, he'd been born and grown up in London, England while Hannah had grown up in Toronto, Canada, they'd met when training for the new and growing Systems Alliance military after it had been formed.

"Hey babe, everythings fine, I miss you" she replied

"I'll try to sneak away and see you sometime, hows little Johnny doing?" he asked

"He's fine, felt a few kicks today. I swear, the closer we get to the 11th, the slower the days go." She told him the regulars about what she'd done since they last spoke, how the baby was doing, what Mr next-door had been in trouble for this time. Then Bales turn, what he was doing, how theyre friends in the military were doing, what Bales friend Darrel had done this time to get locked up in the stations detention center.

"... So thats solved his missing toothbrush story, but now he says he never wants to use it again." He finished his story. "Anyway, luv, I've got to get back to it now. I'll see you as soon as I can. I'll definitely be there tomorrow if not sooner, theres no way im missing this."

"You better be there" She said with a smile. "I'll speak to you soon. Love you"

"You too" he smiled back, and ended the call. Hannah decided it was too boring to stay in home, so she got her things and set off for the shopping area to waste a few hours.

* * *

In a back alley in some forgotten part of the station, electrical discharge started manifesting itself. Gradually building up in one area until a blue flash revealed a man standing motionless, steam coming from his body. The man surveyed his surroundings.

_ARRIVAL DATE: 08-04-2154_

_TIME DISPLAEMENT - SUCCESSFUL_

_NEW OBJECTIVE: ACQUIRE WEAPONS_

_#_  
_ELIMINATE HANNAH SHEPARD  
#_

"Who's in there?" a man came out and looked around, "NH-Security! I know your here, I can detect you on my Tab! Been chasing you kids all over this place."

The Infiltrator summarized that as the security agent was aware he was here, there was no point in hiding from him. He emerged from the shadows and snapped the mans neck. He even took his security credentials before leaving. He wandered for a minute, then saw a group of yobs the security man had mentioned. He judged they were all aged from 19-25 years, carrying suitable clothes for blending in...

* * *

On the other side of the station, in a warehouse district, more electrical discharge appeared. It kept growing until another blue flash occured and a man who looked like he appeared out of think air was thrown to the floor, his body steaming. He tried getting up, gasping for air. _That was a terrible landing _Charlie Hawkins thought to himself. He looked around and couldnt tell where he was, he hoped the Infiltrator was doing just as badly as him. He needed some new clothes, so made his way into one of the warehouses around him labeled "Abercrombie & Fitch & Carl". He silently broke through a glass window, a trick he learned when escaping husks on Earth back in the War. He got inside and could hear sirens, the authorities must be reacting to the electrical discharge from his arrival. He noticed gaurds and what he assumed were the authorities patrolling outside, and trying to get in. _Man, they arrived quickly _he mused. Hiding in the "Retro Earth" section of the store, he grabbed the first things he could that would fit: some Converse Allstar ankle high trainers, some black jeans, a shirt and a long coat that went down to his knees. After slipping into his new clothes and ditching his old ones, he narrowly avoided some police officers before reaching the window he arrived. After jumping down he rounded a corner and nearly walked straight into a lone copper. Instantly reacting, he tackled the man to the ground and took his gun - a primitive projectile pistol that was useless next to the weapons he was used to firing. He aimed at the officers head

"Where am I? What day is it?" He yelled.

"New Hope Station, dont do anything stupid, kid!"

"Whats the date?" He asked again

"Err.. April, the 8th!"

"What year?!" He shouted

"What?" the cop looked puzzled.

"Tell me!" Hawkins yelled back

"Okay, okay! 54! Its the 8th of April 2154. Are you alright, boy?" He asked. Just then they heard more officers arriving. The must have heard Hawkins shouting, he still didnt know why he had shouted. He guessed that he was still a bit hazed from the time jump, his head was still spinning. He started running away from the persuing officers. He found a pushbike leaning against a wall, he didnt know people used them on stations, but took it anyway. Now that he knew he had arrived in the right place he had to now get away from these cops. He kept riding and riding, they couldnt follow in their vehicles through the alleys he was going through. After cycling for a fair distance, and believing he had shaken off the police, he found himself in what he assumed was the public sector of the station. Now the real work began. Finding Hannah Shepard before the machine did. He just hoped he wasn't too late...


	3. Chapter 3

Hannah Shepard had spent the whole day looking around the shops of New Hope. Sometimes she wondered why they even had shopping centers on a space station. Probably just to give it a more familiar feel. She was walking down a high street when a news burst came over the stations public vid network.

_"Police are still looking for the killer of five young men earlier today. Reports say they were all killed with hand-to-hand methods and that some of them had their clothes stolen after. This comes after an unusual electrical disturbance was reported in the area. A similar disturbance was detected in the warehouse district at the same time, before a break in at one of the warehouses. One officer described the suspect as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, who showed signs of mental instability, he is considered armed and dangerous. In other news a weapons storage facility was broken into and..."_

Hannah kept walking, when her omni-pad started beeping. Pulling the small mobile device out of her pocket she looked at it. It said someone had broken into her and Bales apartment. She froze. Someone had forced the door open and entered, she didnt have anymore information as it was just a standard burglar alarm, but she wanted to call Bale and the police anyway. Getting Bales number up she pressed the call button. Nothing happened, she couldnt get through. She tried the police, still nothing. Great, now her omni-pad had mysteriously stopped working so she couldnt call any friends for help. Where could she go to phone someone? It was saturday evening so most places would be closing. She set off walking, hoping to find a bar or a restaurant or something that would have a phone.

* * *

Hawkins was running through the apartment building, up the stairs, through the halls, down the corridors past the different homes, which were all labeled with a letter for the floor level and a number for the door. He kept running, past H3, H4, H5, how many apartments did this place have? He was looking for level N. He'd found the Shepards home address through a public network terminal. And if he'd found it, so had the Infiltrator. He just had to hope he could get there first, he'd heard the news broadcast about the dead youths and the robbed weapons storehouse. That meant the 500X had already found modern clothes and guns. And Shepards address. He sprinted down corridor N to Shepards home, Apartment 7. The door had been kicked in.

"No!" he said aloud. Rushing into the apartment, gun drawn, he searched the place for any sign of Hannah or the 500X. Nothing. The place had deffinately been searched though. But what for? He kept looking until he came across a picture frame that had been smashed and the photograph removed. He picked up the photo. A man and a woman on a beach, smiling at the camera. _Fuck _Hawkins thought. That was what it was looking for, now it had a positive ID of Hannah Shepard. _But where is she?_ He thought to himself, where would he go if he was a pregnant woman? Where was there to go on New Hope station anyway? This was a primitive station compared to the ones he'd been on in his time. He didnt even know what type of facilities or entertainment there was. He put the gun away and exited the apartment, closing the broken doors as a woman walked towards him.

"Can I help you?" she said

"What?" Hawkins replied back.

"You looking for Bale? Im their neighbour" the woman asked

"Oh.. er.. actually, Miss, I'm looking for Hannah, you wouldnt know where she is, would you? Its... very urgent that I find her" he said.

"Matter of life and death, eh?" she said humorously.

"Something like that."

"She said earlier she was going to the public sector, nothing for her to do around here all day, you see. I'd call her for you but I cant get through to anyone on my omni-pad."

"Thanks, I'll find her myself." Hawkins knew that the 500X must have put some kind of virus or signal through the station preventing anyone from making or recieving calls on handheld devices. He could have easily disabled it. It was easy to disable in the future but in this time no one was equiped to fight Cerberus or its weapons, and Hawkins didnt have the tech on him to disable it anyway. He headed back down the corridors

"Well I hope everything goes well and you find her" the woman said. _So do I, girl. So do I _he thought as he walked. Once he was out of eyesight he started running again. Someone was going to notice sooner or later that their apartment door was barely hanging on to its hinges. He didnt intend to be chased by the police again.

* * *

Hannah was still walking. Nowhere was open and all the people she had asked had complained about similar occurrences on their omni-pads. No one could call anyone. She had decided to head for her friend Jill's and hope she was still in and not sleeping around at some guys place again. She still had to walk through the town though. And for the last ten minutes she was sure that someone had been following her. A man had been going the same route as her. She remembered the news report earlier about some "mentally unstable" man who was considered armed and dangerous. Normally she would challenge him and be ready to defend herself, but in her condition, she couldnt risk hurting baby Johnny. She picked up the pace a little, knowing that would do a fat load of good. She hoped someone would walk past so she wasnt alone. She kept walking until she came past a nightclub, the "Space Dust". She'd heard the bass a short distance away. Maybe their was a phone inside? There was a long queue waiting to go in. At least the mysterious follower couldnt do anything here. She tried talking directly to the bouncer. Some nightclubs had emergency panic buttons or hardlines to the police for when fights and riots erupted.

"Excuse me sir-"

"Im sorry Miss, I'm afraid I cant let you in, not in your condition." he said

"No, I just want to get in touch with the police but my omni-pad isnt working. I think im being followed. Please." she begged. The bouncer must have thought about what a dickhead he would be if he turned a pregnant woman away while she was being followed.

"Okay, go in. Tell them Danny said you could go through with no charge."

"Thank you!" she said as he let her in ahead of the people lining up.

"Hey!" one punky looking girl shouted, "why does that bitch get to cut through? She shouldnt even be allowed in like that!" Hannah carried on in as Danny the bouncer tried to hush the line. She came to a guy behind a front desk.

"Woah sorry girl, I cant let you in like that, this is a nightclub." he said, looking at her stomach

"I just need to use your phone to call someone, its an emergency. Danny said to let me through." she pleaded

"Danny?" he repeated.

"Yes, the man outside on the line" she continued. He looked like he was thinking about it for a moment.

"Go on then, go in. I guess it wont hurt to let you in" he said "Theres an emergency phone out on the main floor, if that doesnt work, try the main office. They both should work, theyre hardwired, not wireless."

"Okay, thank you" she went through. As soon as she opened the doors the bass hit her. _BOOM BOOM BOOM_ to todays latest club hits. She made her way through the crowd until she found the phone on the wall. She punched in the emergency number, and waited for someone to answer.

_"Hello, you are through to the New Hope Police department, what is the nature of your emergency?" _said the VI on the other end.

"Hi my names Hannah Shepard" she shouted over all the bass and music "my apartments been broken into and I think im being followed."

_"Thank you, your call and the severity of your emergency has been processed and you are being redirected to the appropriate handler. Please hold..._"

"Fuck sake" Hannah said under her breath.

"Hello, Mrs Shepard? This is Sergeant Franks, you say your being followed?" A new voice asked.

"Yes!" she shouted, so happy that she was talking to someone finally. "I cant call anyone else on my omni-pad and my apartment got broken into and please dont put me on hold again and-!"

"Dont worry Hannah, we'll get you. Where are you?"

"Im in a club, Space Dust."

"Yeah I know it, my son goes there most weekends. Just wait there and stay in a crowded area, that way your safe. See you in a few minutes."

"I will, and thank you" she said before the call ended. She sat down at one of the tables and thought about what was happening. Why would someone follow a pregnant lady? _Sick bastard_ she thought.  
Hannah had been waiting for a few minutes now. She looked around at all the young people dancing and having fun. She figured she must be the oldest non-employee here. And she wasnt even that old! She remembered back when she used to go on nights out like this. She looked round towards the bar. And saw him. Looking right at her. Her heart almost skipped a beat. It was the man who had been following her, somehow theyd let him in. He started walking towards her. She started to move in the opposite direction, pushing through the crowds. She came across the girl from outside.

"Well look who it is, I think you owe me a drink, bitch." She said

"I dont have time for this get out of the fucking way!" Hannah shouted in a terrified voice as she punched the girl in the face, flooring her. She kept moving. Then she saw another man looking at her. This ones face was completely devoid of any emotion though. As soon as he saw her he shoved a young man to the floor and pulled out a pistol, aiming it squarely at her forehead. This was it, she thought. She thought of her baby.

And then someone shot the man in the head.

_BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. _The man didnt go down, but looked stunned. Everyone started screaming and tried to run all at once, which just created a wild frenzy. Hannahs military training kept her calm under fire as she looked for an exit. They were all blocked by escaping clubbers. Out of nowhere the man who had been following her ran into the stunned gunman with such force that he knocked him to the floor. The follower got back up straight away and ran to Hannah, who had jumped to the floor when the shooting started. He held out a hand, while his other held onto a gun.

"Quick! This way!" He shouted. Hannah was still shocked that the other man had survived four gunshots to the head.

"What was -?" she started.

"Come with me if you want to live!" He shouted again. She took his hand and they both ran to an emergency fire exit that no one had noticed. The follower kicked the door down, just as Hannah turned to see the gunman sitting up, this time a sub machine gun in his hand.

"Run!" the follower shouted. They both ran as a spray of bullets went through the walls behind them as they moved through an alley. They were still sprinting, her hand still in his, she couldnt keep it up though, not while she was carrying a child.

"Wait!" she slowed, panting, "I.. cant!" he took her hand again.

"Dont worry Hannah we're almost there, just a bit further. I'll carry you if I have to, your not dying!" they reached a public transport shuttle.

"Quick inside!" Follower shouted

_"What is your destination, Sir?"_ said the on board VI.

"Anywhere just get us the fuck out of here!" Follower told it.

_"No destinations match "the fuck out of here", Sir. Please request a valid destination." _it replied.

"Whats the quickest way off this station?" Follower asked.

_"That would be the New Hope Spaceport, would you like to go there, Sir?"_

"Yeah take us there, quickly."

_"Of course, Sir. ETA is five minutes." _And they started moving.

"Right then." He turned to Hannah and grinned. "I guess I'd better start explaining?"


End file.
